Chamber Recognizes “All-Stars” for July The Blair County Chamber’s ability to offer quality programming, events, recognition and advocacy efforts depends largely on the willingness of sponsors to step up to help underwrite the costs associated those efforts. So at the end of each month, we publish a list of businesses or individuals who sponsored anything Chamber-related during the month. They have helped us to make a difference in the business community. All-Stars for July are: Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries, Ritchey’s Dairy, SubZero Ice Cream & Yogurt and WJAC-TV.

Chamber Accepting Resumes for Fall InternsAs the next semester for local colleges appears on the horizon, the Blair County Chamber will begin accepting resumes from students looking for internships who have majors in business, marketing or communications. The internships can be for credit or non-credit. Send resumes to Linda Stotler at lstotler@blairchamber.com.

Breakfast Club to Highlight “Young Entrepreneurs Academy”The Blair County Chamber’s newest impact program will be the focus of the next Chamber “Breakfast Club,” set for August 11th beginning at 7:45 a.m. at The Casino at Lakemont Park. The nationally-acclaimed Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) will debut in Blair County beginning in November. The 30-week program will help local students from grades 6-12 to build actual businesses within the community, either individually or in partnership with other class participants. Corporate sponsors of the program for 2016-17 are Sheetz, Inc. and UPMC Altoona. “It’s an incredible program that has yielded remarkable results throughout the country,” explained Jim Kilmartin, who will serve as Program Manager for YEA! “Each week, we become more excited about the potential for our young people to impact our local economy through their efforts and understanding of business development.” Kilmartin will be the keynote speaker at the Breakfast Club. The cost of attending the Breakfast Club is $18 for Chamber Members and $30 for non-members. To register, call the Chamber at (814) 943-8151 or register online. Corporate sponsor of the August Breakfast Club is Mount Aloysius College.

Membership Survey to Seek Opinions on Programs, Events, BenefitsFor the first time in nearly four years, the Blair County Chamber will send a survey to its members that will serve as the basis of future strategic planning. The survey, sent electronically through SurveyMonkey, will take no more than five minutes to complete. “We’re very interested in what our members feel is valuable and what no longer meets their needs,” explained Board Chair Carol Gensimore. “We’ve got some critical issues to address over the next several years and member input will be essential in providing direction. We’re hoping for a great response.” As an additional incentive, all members who complete the survey will be registered for a drawing on an iPad Mini, courtesy of Stuckey Ford and Stuckey Subaru. Any Chamber Member who would like to participate in the survey but who is not currently receiving Chamber emails should call the Chamber at (814) 943-8151 to update their contact information. Results of the Membership Survey will be available in late August.

“Backbone Bash” Set for August 12thSmall businesses (50 employees or fewer) that are members of the Blair County Chamber will get a well-deserved night out on August 12th as the annual “Backbone Bash” will be held at Park Hills Golf Club from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. The event will include a DJ, a photo booth, karaoke, a Cornhole tournament, Ladderball, a Putting Contest and a whole lot of opportunity for networking and socializing. The menu for the evening will be primarily “cookout food,” beer and soda. The entire cost for Chamber Members is just $10/person. Some sponsorships still remain. Interested businesses should contact Jessie Covert at (814) 943-8151 or email her at jcovert@blairchamber.com. The Backbone Bash will also feature door prizes with the grand prize being an iPad. There will be prizes as well for the winners of the Cornhole and Putting contests. To register for the Bash, contact the Chamber at 943-8151 or register online. Only employees of Chamber small businesses and their guests can attend this event.Chamber Committee Gets New NameThe Blair County Chamber’s Legislative Action Committee will now be known as the Public Policy Committee. That change, which officially took place July 21st, was made at the request of the committee members who felt that the new name will more reflect the mission and goals of the committee. The request was approved by the Chamber’s Executive Committee.

Congratulations . . .. . . to Reliance Bank of Altoona, which has been named to the 2016 edition of the Top 200 Healthiest Banks in America that DepositAccounts releases annually. Reliance stood out in all the primary evaluation categories, including ratio of bad verses good assets, deposit growth and capitalization.
. . . to Saint Francis University, which has been honored as both a College of Distinction and a Catholic College of Distinction for the 2016-17 academic year. Nominated by high school college counselors and educators for recognition by Colleges of Distinction, each school is evaluated on qualitative and quantitative research.